“You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot – it’s all there.  Everything influences each one of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.” – Maya Angelou

As we go through every day life we are bombarded with the influences of the people and things around us.  We can become the casualty of an “ear worm” so easily and  there you are singing at the top of your lungs, “Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer wiener, that is what I truly want to be, cause if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener, everyone would be in love with me.”  Snappy little jingle; only if life were that easy.

As we work our way from childhood to adulthood we become subjects of the influences of our mother, father, grandparents, etc..  As we meander down the road to becoming adults these influences begin shaping the “being” we will become.  Manufacturers spend millions, as evidenced by this weekend’s super bowl, to promote their product.  They gamble on advertising agencies to create ads that will influence consumers into buying whatever it is they are selling.

There is a plethora of “influences” that we automatically deal with every day.  We have to be smart in choosing which influences we allow our minds to follow.  There are positive and negative influences.  Our mission in life is to learn to discern which of these influences are best for us.  We need to seek those that will make us proud of ourselves and that fortify our self esteem.  The type of influences that will generate honesty, love, integrity and caring into our character.  Positive influences will make us feel better about ourselves and give us the strength to face the negative things tossed our way.

Thank you for reading my blog.  I hope you enjoyed it and please feel free to tell me how you feel in the comment section of my blog.  Be safe, be kind to one another. share the love and God Bless you one and all.